Sleep Alone
by thehyruleshinigami
Summary: Prompt: Imagine Person A of your OTP thinking Person B is dead, but they're not. They're just lost. (Ishihime, Urayoru, Ichiruki- probably some others to come!)
1. Resurrection

In the six months that had passed since the war ended, she had tried to get on with her life. To let go. To forget. But there had been that small part of her that had refused to believe it was over, that he was gone forever. That it was her fault. Longing seemed to be the only emotion she was capable of, and gradually that faded too, until all that was left of her was a shell, a mannequin with her face.

So she lay alone. Home in the dark. Eyes wide open and but never really seeing.

At first the knock didn't startle her. Tatsuki came to check on her even more than before now. She had a right to be worried, Inoue conceived.

But that was when the knock came again, softer, weaker than before. An irregular knock.

Now she was on guard. Tatsuki- and well, everyone who knew her- knew she was home. She was always home it seemed. Why would the knock have come twice?

"Tsubaki," she whispered, as she approached the door. The fairy landed on her shoulder, apparently as on edge as she was. She gave him a meaningful stare and, pressing a finger to her lips, turned the doorknob with her other hand.

And that's when she stopped dead.

"I'm- so sorry."

A raven haired boy stood in front of her, wearing what looked like the remains of a white cloak. The same cloak. He was covered head to foot in deep cuts and bruises. One of the lenses in his glasses has been smashed, and the same eye was black and swollen. She didn't say anything. She couldn't.

"But this- only- safe- place."

Her breathing grew heavier, and a tiny cry escaped from her throat.

"Oi, what are you freezing up for?" Tsubaki hissed in her ear, "Guy needs help doesn't he?"

"Inoue-san, are you oka- ?" The boy in front of her collapsed into a fit of coughing, and had to grip the railings for balance.

"Ishida…-kun?" Her eyes were wide. "It- it's you! But how-" She shook herself. Answers could wait. She moved to support him, putting his arm over her shoulder. She could tell he was barely conscious, his breath raspy. He was light. Worryingly so.

She lay him on her sofa and instinctively reached for her hair clips.

Even in his current state, Ishida managed to grab her arm before she could call out her fairies.

"Can't- do- that-" he managed, "They'll find- you, they- track- reiatsu." His voice was quiet, little more than a whisper.

"Please, you have to stop talking. Don't put any strain on yourself, I'll find something just- Hold on a little longer okay?" Inoue grimaced. His reiatsu was incredibly weak, but if what he said about them tracking reiatsu was true, then that could be deliberate, she supposed. She hoped.

Inoue placed a hand to his forehead and almost recoiled in shock. He was burning up.

She chewed her lip in thought, pushing the hair away his eyes absentmindedly. Did she even keep medicine? She entertained the idea of calling Kurosaki, but decided against it. If she asked him for pills he'd immediately get the wrong idea. She knew she didn't have enough time to go out and buy some, so she'd have to do without.

She gave his hand one final squeeze before hurrying to her kitchen and waiting for the water to run cold.

The boy stared at her from the sofa, only one eye half open. Even from here, he could see her pained expression. He silently cursed himself for being so selfish. For not telling her before that he was still alive. If she thought I was dead, she probably blames herself, if I die here then it's a definite, he thought. She's right though, I can't speak. Don't suppose her fairies can read minds can they?

Inoue returned with soaking towels and kneeling down beside him, she folded one and placed it over his forehead.

"You can sleep, if you want, Ishida-kun. You don't need to explain right now. It's ok, I- I'm just-" She looked away. She could feel herself tearing up, "I'm so glad you're… alive."

Author's Note: This is probably gonna be an ongoing series just so you know


	2. Discovery

It was approaching 3:00 AM. The town was silent, save for the far away calling of a cat. Inoue was sitting against the back of her sofa, where Ishida was, finally, sleeping peacefully. Strangely, her eyelids weren't even drooping. Her mind was too loud for that to happen, awash with confusion. This boy had die- well no, she supposed, _disappeared_ 6 months ago, only to reappear at her door, a ghost of himself. She supposed she could be angry at him, for not telling her he was alive. She could be. That was a change, she thought. A couple hours ago she couldn't have been anything.

She stood up, shaking her head. She wouldn't be any use if she was tired. She turned to go to her room, but her eyes fell on the sleeping boy, she could still hear a faint croak in his throat whenever he breathed in. She'd put an old blanket around him, as nothing much remained of his cloak. His brow twitched suddenly, and he started muttering, his breathing growing shorter, more irregular.

"I…did it…" His whole body tensed up and his cries became louder. His knuckles were white, gripping the blanket tightly, "Leave…them…"

Nightmare, Inoue thought. I don't blame him.

"Ishida-kun." She sat on the edge of the sofa, and placed a hand over his. "It's only a dream, you're safe here."

But his movements only became more distressed. An arm shot up to cover his eyes, and his moaning increased in volume. "Wait…stop, STOP!"

"Ishida-kun." No change. His legs were kicking wildly, as if running from an invisible enemy. She tried again, louder. "Ishida. ISHIDA."

He was nearly shouting. "WAIT! STOP IT DON'T TOUCH HER! WAIT GOD DAMMIT"

"URYUU!"

An eye flew open and he jolted upright, his face a picture of terror. Inoue wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him into an embrace.

"You're safe. I promise."

Hesitantly, he reached his arms around her.

"S-sorry Inoue-san, I- I haven't really slept well in- since everything ended."

"Mm."

"Ah-" Ishida seemed to suddenly become very aware of the position he was in He fumbled his hand around on the table next to him until he found what remained of his glasses. "I-I'm sorry, I'm keeping you up aren't I?" He faltered, making a point of covering his face while adjusting and readjusting his glasses.

"Don't worry about it, Ishida-kun." Inoue almost laughed. Thank God he was still the same awkward person. Then she paused. "Do you… want to talk about your dream?"

He went quiet, and looked away. Should I have asked? Inoue mused, a concerned look spreading across her face. She was about to apologize for her rashness, when he spoke:

"It-it's always the same dream." He began, voice quiet, shaking. "I relive that day. About what they could have- what they still could do."

Inoue gasped. Six months of the same nightmare. And there'd been no-one he could talk to, no-one who could comfort him. Any anger she might have had evaporated. He turned to face her again. "Yeah. They're still out there. That's why you can't tell the others, not yet. I'm sorry this is all- all my fault, I-" He jerked his head away and started coughing violently.

"Hey, don't strain yourself. It was stupid of me to ask, just- tell me when you're feeling up to it alright?"

"Y-yeah, thanks." He murmured, embarrassed. Inoue smiled sheepishly at him and yawned. "Oh- sorry Ishida-kun."

"No it's ok. If you're tired then please don't over exert yourself on my part." He reassured her. She flashed him another apologetic grin and got up for her room. Back to silence. Back to the cat.

Said black cat was currently pacing up and down a wall, about a hundred yards from her door. It seemed to be rather annoyed, and its tail twitched impatiently. "Dammit Kisuke," it muttered, "Can't you be on time for once?"

"Oh come on Yoruichi-san, that's not fair," joked a blonde man stepping out from an alleyway. "You know full well that my shop's on completely the other side of town."

"I appreciate it's your nature but now is really not a time to be joking." The cat hopped down onto the man's shoulder. "You called this meeting because you noticed, I presume."

"Yes, it appears that the Quincy has returned to us. Normally I would be thrilled at Ishida-san's arrival but this time," He mused, adopting a more serious tone, "This time it appears he is not alone."

The pair began walking through the streets. Neither of them spoke for a long time. They didn't really need to. They'd known each other long enough to guess what the other was thinking. The wind picked up and it started to drizzle. Rain… the man pondered, pulling out an umbrella, odd for July isn't it? Yoruichi shook her fur. Damn rain. A thought struck her and she spoke suddenly:

"How long, Kisuke?"

"Until what?"

"Until they find us."

"Well," The man stopped under a streetlamp, smiling at the reflection in a puddle at his feet, "It appears they already have."


	3. Forbidden Power

It crawled down from the lamppost, fingers twisting round like snakes. It had no mouth, no definite form, just flaming blue eyes which seemed to move throughout its body at will. It was a murky black and every touch to the lamppost seemed to send ripples across its skin.

"You're all that remains then?" Urahara asked with a sly grin, jumping back from the lamppost. The cat was gone from his shoulder, and instead was perched atop a nearby tree. She closed her eyes and began to transform herself into her human form.

"Yoruichi-san! Don't forget these!" The man called out slinging a rucksack in her direction, before turning to face the creature once more. It shifted on the ground, as if it were swimming and a voice seemed to echo in the back of the man's mind.

"You… dare speak to us... so… nonchalantly?" Deep, raspy whispers.

"I do apologize Quincy-san, or- do you have a name?" He replied, apparently unconcerned.

"We… have no names… anymore… we are… different people now but-" It paused, and in an instant leapt from the ground to hover right in front of the blonde's face, "You once knew me... as- no… I can't tell you yet…" Despite its lack of features, the creature seemed to sneer at him. "What would you… care anyway, Urahara… Kisuke?"

The man gave a small chuckle and in a moment drew his sword from his side and swiped at the space in front of him. The strike went through the creature, but the thick viscosity of its body trapped the sword inside. Its eyes squinted as if laughing at him, as Urahara's widened with surprise.

"I never took you for a man so easily provoked… Urahara Kisuke…"

However, instead of becoming at all frantic, the shopkeeper just sighed. "My, my… You fell for that?"

"…I'm sorry? Look at your… position Urahara Kisuke… surely you jest?" The whispers returned with a more spiteful tone.

"Oh? Did you forget? If my sword is trapped in your body then your body is trapped around my sword. And hey, you're not just fighting me y'know."

There was a flash of purple and orange, and a tall, athletic woman appeared next to him.

"Tch, the hell is that?" She scoffed, turning her nose up and peering at it closely. The flames in it's eyes seemed to intensify, and she flinched back. "Ah well, I think we'd be doing the Quincies a favour by getting rid of this crap." She began raising her right hand to her face, when she paused.

"Kisuke."

"Hm?"

"This… will work won't it? I don't want a repeat of the Aizen fight."

Urahara smirked again, glancing sideways at her, and raising his own right hand to his face. "Oh ye of little faith..." He laughed, before swiping the hand across his face. A wispy black trail followed then hand, and materialized to form a pure white mask. The forehead had the appearance of a crown, and contained specks of crimson, like jewels.

"Well…this is odd." His voice was now warbled. "But yes, Yoruichi-san. This is working just as planned."

The creature's whispers became deranged screams in the backs of their minds.

"I see I was correct in assuming hollows were still poisonous to you? But don't worry this won't kill you, I've not been able to make artificial hollowfication that powerful quite yet, however-" He cut off, as Yoruichi did the same. Her mask seemed to have whiskers engraved into the sides, and jagged black horns where the ears should have been. Urahara turned back to the creature, smiling sadistically, "This will."

Yoruichi balled her hand into a fist, and began charging a bright red ball of energy around it. With a painful grunt she slammed her fist right between the creature's eyes. Its edges seemed to catch fire and the pair jumped back, on guard. The voice returned, but a garbled angry version of its former self.

"This will be your undoing, Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi- How can you think he will ever fight with you… If he finds out-" For a second, a human form flickered where the creature was. Urahara's eyes grew wide with shock, with disbelief.

Snow white hair. Ocean blue eyes.

"If he finds out you killed his father."

 **A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! I've just had exams over the past few weeks- I'll try to update more often!**


	4. Perception and Prescription

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song mentioned in this. It's by Elvis Presley.**

Morning, on a lazy Sunday. Dust blew noiselessly through sunbeams, as they flooded the room. The window was open, and a faint scent of mown grass seeped in. Inoue opened her eyes slowly, and lay for a moment, mind numb. She pressed a fist to her forehead and squinted at the light. Too bright, she thought. Bright. White. White! She shot up, and grabbed a dressing gown off a hanger, hurriedly putting it on and running to the next room-

It wasn't a dream. She sighed in relief. He was still there, asleep, breathing much more soundly and evenly than before. I'll check his vitals when he wakes up, she decided, but I'm going to have to do something about those glasses. They lay on the coffee table next to him- well, more like it lay. You couldn't really call them a pair of glasses is they only had one lens right?

She set about making herself some breakfast. Pancakes, she decided. With red bean paste and honey. As she finished making the third, she heard him stirring on the couch.

"Ishida-kun! Have you slept ok?" She smiled, walking over to him.

He gave a weak smile back, and opened one eye, as the right one was still swollen shut. "Very well, thank you Inoue-san." He paused and looked down "Very well." He repeated, quietly.

"I'm so glad!" Inoue sighed, relieved. She was hoping that since she'd left him alone he had been all right. He looked around, and reached for the glasses next him.

"Oh we have to get you some new ones." Inoue frowned, "But you're definitely not strong enough to go outside yet…"

"Please, I'm already taking up so much of your time, there's no need to-"

"Ok! I'll go and get you another pair right away!" She said, determinedly. Ishida sighed. There was no point in trying to argue, once she'd made up her mind about something, she'd do it. One of her strengths… he mused.

"All right, but one second…" He conceded, reaching inside his shirt. "Take these."

"Ishida-kun… these are…"

Coupons. For the opticians. She couldn't help herself. She burst into a fit of laughter, tears forming in her eyes.

"W-what's so funny?" Ishida asked, smiling slightly, confused.

"Ishida Uryuu." She said between giggles, "Only you would go through hell and back almost literally, and still come back with glasses coupons."

He gave a small chuckle. That's fair enough, he considered. She went back into the kitchen and picked up the plate of pancakes. Setting them down next to him she said:

"You like them plain right? I've just got to go get changed." She turned away to her room. As she left, the boy began thinking. How long can I really stay here? Keeping my reiatsu down will only work for so long. They'll figure it out eventually, and then what? Then I've put her in danger again… his brow furrowed, deeply lined with conflict. Anyway, there's no way I can leave in my current state- and I- I couldn't leave without telling her… telling her…

Around 20 minutes later, Inoue wandered around town, following the instructions he had scribbled for her on a slip of paper. What did he say his prescription was again? -6? Or -7? She shook herself. She was sure it was -6. Finally she arrived at the opticians, a smallish modern-looking shop on the corner of the main street. It had a neon sign of a pair of glasses outside, adverts for prescription sunglasses in the windows. The models were all laughing... so carefree…

As she stepped through the door, a bell rung in the corner, and the little old lady behind the counter looked up at her. "Hello dear! Here for an appointment, or just some repairs?" She asked, warmly.

Inoue looked at her nametag: 'Ayame'. "Oh, no, I'm just here to get a new pair of glasses- not for myself though." She reached into the sunflower patterned bag on her shoulder, and placed the broken glasses on the desk in front of her.

"Wow." Ayame raised her eyebrows, cautiously picking up and studying them, "What happened here?"

"Oh he, uh…" She paused. Think, think, think… "Walked into a glass door… at pace." She added when the lady gave her a confused look.

Ayame gave a sigh of laughter, and covered her mouth with her hand, "Sorry, it's just… you're a very good girlfriend then, coming all this way to get this idiot a new pair."

Inoue flushed instantly, but decided not to bother to correct her, so she just smiled. The old lady shook her head, "Well then… I suppose he'd like the same style and everything. What's his prescription?"

Meanwhile, at Inoue's home, Ishida was studying the room around him. He supposed he'd never really spent a lot of time at her home before, and the tiniest details were fascinating. The way post-it notes covered the walls, (not that he could read them), the way the walls were the same shade as her favourite shirt and the fact that seemingly random objects were stacked together in one corner of the room- from the looks of things there was a motorcycle helmet, a briefcase, an old, torn suit jacket and a guitar- a guitar? He pushed himself cautiously into a sitting position and made his way slowly, leaning on furniture for support, over to the corner, and picked it up. It was an old Fender acoustic- no pick in sight though. He absentmindedly sat down on the nearest chair and began strumming chords.

This is surprisingly difficult with only one eye, he huffed, irritated. And this thing is ridiculously out of tune… Let's see… what pieces can I remember…

When she stepped out of the optician's shop into the baking heat of July, Inoue was still blushing slightly. Ayame-san didn't mean anything really- I suppose it is quite house-wife like to buy glasses entirely with coupons… Ishida had given her easily enough for a new pair. How does he have so many? Inoue realized that, although she considered him easily one of her closest friends, there was so much she didn't know about him. He didn't really like to talk about himself.

Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching. The spiky haired girl gazed in disbelief. Inoue was… smiling? Should I- I don't know, maybe I should just leave her alone for a bit. If she's finally healing, then I don't want to crowd her- The girl paused mid thought and frowned: Wait… did- did she just leave an opticians? 'The hell for? She doesn't wear glasses- no one we're friends with wears glasses except- The girl's dark eyes widened. Fuck. Shit. Shit! She whirled around and began sprinting down the street she'd just come from. She yanked a phone out of her bag and began dialing, weaving through the crowds of people staring at her. Pick up pick up pick up dammit! Finally, someone answered, and a low, bored-sounding voice said: "Hullo?"

"ICHIGO!" She shouted, panting.

"Wh- Tatsuki? What is it?" He asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"It's Inoue."

"What about Inoue? What has she done?" He was close to shouting now.

"No- nothing like that I swear, she's fine but- oh never mind I'm coming over now. I need to talk to you and Kuchiki-san privately." She huffed, before slamming the 'End Call' button, and cutting the boy off mid-sentence. "Wai-"

Inoue didn't really hear it until she was right outside her door. A faint sound of guitar, and an incredibly soft voice…

Turning the key in the lock silently she opened the door. She spun her head to see him with his back to her, bent over a guitar and singing along quietly.

"Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin?

If I can't help, falling in love with you?"

She stood opened mouthed in the doorway. Yet another thing she'd never known. Since when has Ishida-kun played guitar? And since when did he have such a… nice voice? She stared, captivated.

"Take my hand,

Take my whole life too,

Cause I can't help, falling in love with you"

He strummed the final chord and placed his left hand over the strings, stopping the vibration. He smiled to himself. Well, that proves I don't have any brain damage.

Suddenly he heard someone clapping behind him, and spun around quickly- too quickly.

"I-Inoue-san!? Ouch!" He clamped a hand to his neck, Damned cramp. "I'm fine! I'm fine, I swear." He assured her as she rushed over to him. Relieved, she looked up at him, eyes sparkling:

"Ishida-kun… I had no idea you could-"

"Oh that? That was uh, nothing, I- I was just, uh, testing to see if my uh- long-term memory had been affected that's all..." Oh God, oh God, oh God, his face flushed crimson.

"But that was amazing! How come you never, I don't know, joined a music club or something in high-school?" He couldn't hide the fact that this did make him smile- stupidly so.

"I- don't like performing in front of other people." He admitted, still refusing to look her in the eye.

She didn't push the matter further, and instead, pulled out the new pair of glasses. "Oh yeah! These are for you, Ishida-kun!" She handed them to him. He studied them briefly, before putting them on and blinking a few times.

"Can you see ok? I think I got the right prescription…" She trailed off.

"No, no these are perfect!" He gave her an encouraging look, "Thank you so much, Inoue-san, you really didn't have to." He paused, glancing at the guitar that still lay on his lap. "I-if you don't mind me asking, who's guitar is this? I remember you said that you'd never played an instrument…" He stuttered, looking self-conscious. Is it weird that I can remember that?

"Oh…" Inoue looked at the guitar, and a strange expression crossed her face. A mixture of happy and sad- angry and forgiving- guilty and peaceful. "This was my brother's."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Ishida looked wildly apologetic "I- I should have asked first!"

She looked up at him with the same expression. "There's no need to apologise… It would just sit their gathering dust otherwise. I'm sure… I'm sure that made him happy."

He looked back at her entranced, and suddenly he could see every detail of her face, how her eyes changed colour in the light, how she had slight freckles on the bridge of her nose, how he hair blew slightly across her forehead under the ceiling fan…

He stopped himself, and looked away. "Uh, Th-thank you, Inoue-san." She turned away from him as well, Ayame's words in her mind… "You're welcome, Ishida-kun! I, uh, suppose I better check up on your recovery! I won't be a minute, I just need to get some more cold water…"

"She WHAT?"

Tatsuki sat, arms and legs crossed, in the corner of the room. "It's just what I saw all right?"

A boy with flaming orange hair was standing in front of her, hands over his face. "I just- I don't understand! This is so- sudden." He paused and looked back at her: "When was the last time you checked up on her again?"

"Friday."

"T-two days…" The boy sat down on his bed and lent against his window. "What the hell could have happened in two days…?"

"Where exactly did you see her" inquired a petite girl sitting on the desk opposite.

"That's just the weirdest part- she was leaving an opticians."

The other two shot a glance at each other. Tatsuki could tell they were thinking the same thing she was. No one decided to voice this thought. They didn't want to get their hopes up, not whilst they were all still getting over it. Silence descended on the room.

"W-well" the petite girl finally spoke up, "L-let's not crowd her shall we? If- if she is beginning to heal then- then we should leave her to do it in her own time."

"I agree, Kuchiki-san." Tatsuki said, getting up to leave. "Well, it's sure been nice talking to you two, but I've got to get back to grocery shopping. Don't do anything inappropriate while I'm gone!" And with that she left them with faces burning with a mixture of rage and embarrassment.

"Ichigo. You know who we need to talk to about this."

"Sure I do."

"Right. Then let's not waste any time."

 **A/N: I'm back guys! I apologise so hard for not updating this as often as I should, but I promise I'm always thinking about it, and so this chapter is more than twice the length of the others. I should also mention that I used a British eyesight system, where – numbers mean short sighted and + numbers mean long sighted. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this!**


	5. Realisation

At an old, dusty candy store on the other side of town, despite the fact that it had just gone midday, Urahara was lounging on his bed. He claimed that lying down helped him think more clearly, but most people knew this was just an excuse for being lazy- or rather they _thought_. Did anyone really know anything about that man?

He lay on his back: one arm over his eyes, and the other around the tall, tan woman next to him. His mouth was fixed in a grimace, as the night before played over and over in his head. _You killed his father… you killed his father…you did…_ the crea- well no, he supposed, _Ryuken_ 's voice echoed in his mind… jeering. How could he have been so stupid, stupid, STUPID! He must have cursed aloud, as the woman next to him shifted her head to look at him.

"You're not still making that damn face, are you?" She murmured, slightly exasperated. "I keep telling you- that kid's not stupid. You of all people know he wouldn't have cared for him if he had seen that. For all we know, he _could_ have seen Ryuken like that anyway."

Urahara moved the arm from his eyes slightly and glanced at her. "Yeah, yeah I _know_ that but-" he paused and gave a deep sigh. "Never mind. You're right as usual, Yoruichi-san."

"You can drop the formality when we're not around anyone else, idiot."

"Yeah…" He moved to rest his head on hers. "Sorry, Yoruichi."

She looked as though she might reply, when they were interrupted by the faint sound of voices outside the shop. They both sat bolt upright.

"How the _hell_ did they get this close without being sensed?" Yoruichi muttered, annoyed.

"They're not exactly kids anymore, Yoruichi. Even Ichigo has learned to conceal his reiatsu to a fairly decent degree."

Urahara got up slowly rubbing his face with his hand. He picked his crumpled clothes off the floor. He glanced back at Yoruichi who was still lying in bed, apparently unconcerned. She saw his look and laughed. "They're not expecting _me_ to be here, Kisuke."

He gave a mock scowl and began to get dressed.

"Yo! Urahara-san?" Ichigo called out as he slid the door open. He looked around at the seemingly empty shop. "Maybe he's ou-"

"Kurosaki-san!" He was interrupted as the blond man stepped out from behind the door at the opposite end of the shop. "How nice of you to drop by! Need some more soul candy? Or perhaps-".

"You can drop the act, Urahara-san. I'm fairly certain you _know_ why we're here." Rukia interjected.

Urahara's joking demeanour disappeared. He pulled his hat lower, nearly covering his eyes and he fixed the pair with a solemn stare. "And what _exactly_ , are you implying, Kuchiki-san?"

"We need to talk about Ishida."

That was it. She had voiced the conclusion. No turning back now.

"Ishida…" Urahara studied her expression intently. _I suppose there's no point, they clearly have reason to believe he's returned, even if they can't sense him_. "Of course. Please, come and have some tea."

"Tea?" Ichigo shot in, "We haven't got the damn _time_! If he's really back, then shouldn't we be out like, looking for him?"

"Has it not occurred to you that maybe- maybe Ishida-san does not _want_ to be found?" Urahara said quietly, not betraying any thought.

"Want to? You think that I freaking care whether or not he _wants_ to be found?" Ichigo practically yelled, "He's our _friend_! What kind of-"

"Oi, oi!" He was cut short by Yoruichi entering the room behind Urahara… wearing one of his shirts. "Keep the fucking noise down kid!"

Both Ichigo and Rukia stared at the pair, open-mouthed.

"Yoruichi-san! You finally decided to get up I see!" Urahara gave a clever smirk, and in response she punched him on the shoulder, in a manner she would call 'playful', but Urahara would call 'on the verge of actually being pretty painful'.

"Well, I knew that _you'd_ make an ass of this, so I came to help out." She grinned back.

"Oh come on that's not _fair_!" He was grinning too.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt but…" They turned their heads in unison to see a very slightly bemused Ichigo and Rukia with her jaw hanging open. Ichigo continued: "C-could we maybe get back to the matter at hand?"

"Oh," Urahara sighed. He hated serious conversation… especially when there was really no way to make Ichigo realise the true extent of Ishida's return. _Why not let him find that out himself?_

Using the same, monotonous voice, he looked Ichigo in the eye. "There isn't anything I _can_ tell you, Kurosaki-san but…" He paused and closed his eyes. Was he really doing this? "If you can find Ishida Ryuken-san, then I'm sure…" He didn't even need to finish his sentence, as the pair had already exchanged a determined look and disappeared back out of the door.

"Rukia, where would he be at this time of day?"

"Given that it's a Sunday… probably at home?

The two Shinigami were speeding across the town, hopping from building to building.

"Right." Ichigo paused, "Do you really think he'll be able to tell us where Ishida is? I mean, they aren't exactly a _loving_ family…"

Rukia sighed, "I have no idea but- but this is the only lead we have. If there's even the slightest chance he's not- not…" She went quiet. Neither of them wanted to express the other possibility.

They continued in silence for few minutes, when Ichigo finally spoke up again:

"Hey Rukia… you're still on for Tuesday right?"

"Isn't this a bit of an inappropriate moment?" She shot back. But then more quietly:

"…Yeah."

"Well, that'll work out." He sighed with relief, and turned around, the smirk returning to his face-

"What. The. Fuck. Kisuke." Yoruichi was glaring at him, he swore he could see the ends of her hair physically _burning_. "What the _hell_ are you doing!?"

Urahara backed up and raised his hands in a pretend defensive pose in front of him, "C-come on Yoruichi! What _else_ could I tell them?"

"I don't know Kisuke, but not _freaking_ that!?" She approached him, gritting her teeth. "It's like you want the world to find out he's dead!"

"They'll find out soon enough, Yoruichi." He dropped his hands and went over to her hesitantly. "Don't you think it's possible that, if they _do_ find out he's dead then-" Yoruichi was giving him an exasperated look. He looked down at his feet. "Either way, I've bought Ishida-san sometime. Wherever he's hiding- and I am almost certain I know where- he'll be able to stay for a little longer." Yoruichi's gaze softened.

"And then what, Kisuke? You were there, you saw that _thing_. When it finds him again- what do we do _then_?" She moved to put her arms over his shoulders, and he placed his hands on her waist. He was ridiculously tense. "Hey?"

"I- For the first time, I honestly don't know, Yoruichi." He seemed almost guilty.

"C'mon Kisuke, we've made it through worse." He pressed his forehead against hers, gently.

"We've had help." He gave a weak smile, and she leaned upwards to kiss him. His shoulders seemed to relax, and he lent back into her, brushing a stray hair out of her face distractedly. _You've helped me the most, Yoruichi_. They broke apart smiling, and Urahara hugged her to his chest. _Thank you_ , he mouthed into her hair. A sudden realisation struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he audibly gasped. Yoruichi's head snapped up, concerned.

"What? What is it?"

"Help Yoruichi! That's the answer!" She gave him a quizzical look. He looked like a child on Christmas Day. "Look, who, out of all the kids here would you be _dead_ without?"

"I can think of pretty good arguments for all of them, Kisuke. Where exactly are you going with this?"

He didn't answer her and instead placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "No time to explain! I have to go immediately." He whirled round to leave, but Yoruichi placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Wait one damn second, ok? Just let me get changed and I'll be right there?"


	6. Genius

"No doorbell. Or knocker by the looks of it. Ah well, no choice then. Ishida-san? Are you in?" Ichigo called. _Huh. No reply._ "Do you suppose he has a spare key under the doormat or something?" He asked his companion.

"No time for that." She replied, shooting him an urgent look.

Ichigo sighed. "All right, but if we get in trouble for this I'm blaming-"

"Get on with it, idiot."

Ichigo grimaced as he pushed open the creaking wooden door. "Man… _This_ is where Ishida grew up? No wonder he left." It was a small, gothic, mansion, deep in the suburbs of Karakura Town. The house had an eerie darkness to it, despite the light of the midday sun outside. All of the windows were hidden by thick, navy curtains. Ichigo ran his hand along the wall, until he found what seemed like a light switch.

The lights flickered on, and a surgically bright white illuminated the corridor.

Squinting, the pair began slowly down the passage. Dusty portraits lined the walls, each one had the same eyes. Oddly accusatory. _Especially the last one…_ Ichigo thought, shuddering slightly. It was of a woman with dark hair tied in a knot above her head, and a piercing stare. The wallpaper was a dirty white, with the occasional blue cross, above the dark wood panelling. At the far end was a staircase leading to the first floor. _Aww man…_ Ichigo thought, annoyed, _this is gonna take forever…_

"Snap out of it, stupid." Rukia said, exasperated. "We'll start with the rooms on this floor. You take right, I take left."

"Since when were _you_ in charge?" The boy shot back, scowling, but backed off almost immediately. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're right. It'll be faster if we split up."

Despite her not being able to use her powers, Inoue seemed to radiate good health. Ishida guessed he felt as though she was like a sun, and just being around her was enough to make anyone feel warmer. He hadn't been able to even think of comfort since- well, forever. And honestly, there had been sometimes where it seemed like he never would.

Yet here he was. Sitting up on her sofa, listening to her talk. He'd lost track of the subject- but that didn't matter for either of them. He needed to know she was here. That he was here. And she needed someone to talk to. Someone who really understood what it was like to feel truly alone.

"So there's this new ice-cream parlour that just opened up on the main-street! I hear they're the first to serve seaweed/jelly ice-cream combos, which is great because they're my favourites! What about you, Ishida-kun?" She was sitting cross-legged on an armchair next to him, and he swore he could see her eyes shining.

"Huh? Me?" He had to think for a moment. "Probably… vanilla."

"Vanilla? Oh… 'Cause it's white, right?" She giggled slightly. "You're so predictably, Ishida-kun! You should try coconut! That's white too!"

 _Predictable?_ Ishida sighed. _I suppose so._ Then a seemingly out of nowhere thought occurred to him: _How about I change that?_

He felt a strange air of confidence, and swallowing, he began slowly: "S-so Inoue-san there's, ah, something I need to- to… tell you."

This _did_ surprise her. He had never been the type to speak a lot. But she continued her care-free smiling, and replied: "Sure~! What's up?"

"Well, you- you see… I-"

He was interrupted by a shout next to them.

"God _dammit_ Kisuke! Your timing is, as ever imPECCable!"

The pair had apparently materialized out of thin air into the room.

Needless to say, both Inoue and Ishida screamed a little.

"Ah- yes, um… pardon the interruption?" Urahara smiled, weakly at them.

There was a long silence, as they both tried to process the current situation. It was Ishida who managed to regain the power of speech first:

"Urahara-san? Yoruichi-san? W-What are you-? How did-?"

"You're good at concealing reiatsu, kid, I'll give you that." Yoruichi smirked, "But you're not quite _that_ good."

"As for knowing _where_ you were," Urahara continued, "Where else would you go? Don't worry, though," he added, seeing the growing worry on the boy's face, "We have no intention of telling anyone else that you're here. In fact, the main reason we came here-"

"Which you haven't even explained to _me_ yet." Yoruichi muttered, mildly annoyed.

"The main reason we came here, was for-" He paused and directed his gaze to the orange haired girl. "For you, Inoue-san."

"M-me?!" Inoue spluttered.

"Yes. Now before I explain anything-"

"Oh _hell_ no, Kisuke," Yoruichi interjected, slamming her fist down on the blonde man's head, "You are explaining _everything_. _Right_ now."

"Ow! All right! All right!" He said, wincing. His voice became more sombre. "I assume that Ishida-san has told you that 'it' is still around?"

"'It'?" She glanced at Ishida, "Well I- I think so, but- he referred to it as 'they'…"

Urahara pondered this for a moment. "That is probably a more appropriate address. Well, the fact of the matter is, Inoue-san- We need your power to fight it."

"W-what?" Inoue asked quietly, completely dumfounded.

"WHAT?!" yelled Yoruichi and Ishida in unison, equally dumfounded, but far less passive.

"Am- am I seriously the only one who sees this?" Urahara laughed nervously, backing up against the wall slightly, "I promise- I've thought this through-"

"C-could I maybe… have a moment to go… think about this…?" Inoue inquired calmly.

Urahara nodded quickly, and glanced at Yoruichi. She huffed, and resignedly followed Inoue out of the room.

"Actually, Ishida-san- there _is_ something I need to tell you."

Ishida looked exceptionally tired. "What?" He didn't have the energy to be polite.

"It's about your father." Urahara's eyes went dark, and he looked at his feet.

"What about Ryuuken?"

"He- well, I mean _I-_ "

"I know he's dead, Urahara-san." Ishida sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Urahara looked at him quizzically. "How? His reiatsu had gone-" The realisation struck him. "Don't tell me you were there when-"

"When my own stupid actions led them to his house and they stripped him of his dignity, form and mind? Oh yes, I was there." Ishida looked up at him with very old eyes. "If anything, Urahara-san- if you've found a way to destroy what- _remained_ of him… You've done him a favour." He let out a deep sigh and continued: "Don't get me wrong, I _hated_ that man, but- but everything he did, even if it was wrong- was for me. And for my mother. And that's why you've done _me_ a favour too."

Urahara cracked a sad smile. "Yoruichi-san was right about you, Ishida-san."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ishida enquired.

"It means I should have learned to trust other people by this point."

He pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to Ishida. "Now Ishida-san, I want you to understand one thing, all right? I would _never_ put that girl in a situation I didn't believe she was capable of handling. Rest assured."

Ishida raised an eyebrow, "And I can trust you- why?"

"Two reasons. One: This plan will be Shihouin Yoruichi Approved. Two-" He fixed Ishida with a slightly… odd stare, "What would be the point of doing otherwise?"

Leaving Ishida staring back at him with a furrowed brow, he called out: "Yoruichi-san! Is Inoue-san feeling better?"

An annoyed Yoruichi emerged from the landing. "No thanks to _you_." Inoue also walked back into the living room, wish the same slightly dazed expression on her face.

Urahara tipped his hat over his eyes, and spoke quietly: "I am truly sorry for announcing this so suddenly. I hope- I hope my explanation will help to calm you."

He began pacing the room, causing Yoruichi to roll her eyes. "He does this when he's about to be clever. I swear, he loves the dramatics _more_ than the planning." She whispered, making Inoue smile a little.

"I'll be brief. The basis of your own power, Inoue-san is 'event reversal'. I believe, with training, we could develop this into 'event creation'."

Inoue's eyes widened. She could see where this was going. And it sounded strangely… plausible.

"W-What sort of training are we talking about here, Urahara-san?" She asked, feeling slightly braver than before.

"I'm not too sure yet. Give me a day or two. I'll come up with something." _Or someone_ … he thought. _Guess there's no choice. I'll have to visit Ukitake-taichou- oh wait. We're not supposed to call him that anymore… Mimihage-sama._

It seemed to swallow the world whole. Its never-ending limbs stretched out beyond the horizon. It moved so slowly, yet it was everywhere. Unavoidable. A ghost of so many faces. Each one, gaping, singing their own requiems, in the backs of minds. And though it burned with a dark fire, its touch was icy, like the chills down your spine. Like the area of the wall you find yourself staring at, again and again, whilst your days flash by. That snake coiling in your chest, round your heart and lungs, slithering and spitting out through your mouth. When your eyes become not your own, and you're not yourself, and the mirror is like a window. Every step it takes is your heartbeat pounding in your ears.

But they were only one man. And their remaining power was only knowledge. 'Only', makes it sound feasible. Don't be fooled.

It's not.

The house, although it seemed small from the outside, appeared to go on forever. Ichigo counted at least a dozen reception rooms- what seemed like a dining hall and a kitchen. He was halfway through reading a pile of documents when he thought to look outside. Pushing the curtain a little to one side, he saw the deep red of a setting sun. _Oh shit- We've taken far too long_!

"Oi! Rukia! Have you checked outside recently?" He called as he hurried back he way he came towards the hallway. "We've been here far too-" He skidded into the corridor to find Rukia standing half-way up the staircase, a finger pressed firmly to her lips.

"What?" Ichigo whispered, loudly: "What is it?" Rukia beckoned for him to follow her, and said quietly: "I heard something up here. Let's just check this last thing." Ichigo watchfully followed her up the stairs, treading lightly to avoid the creaking in the floorboards.

Upstairs was a vastly different scene. Most of the bulbs in the lanterns had blown, and there were deep tears down each side of the hallway. The darkness obscured the end of the corridor, and the pair could just barely see the light from downstairs glinting off something on the floor. Ichigo didn't like this. At all. The very picture set him on edge, and a sweat formed on his brow. "Rukia-"

She cut him off with a quick "Shh!" And continued, alert, down the corridor, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword, knuckles white.

"It's a vase, Ichigo."

"A vase?"

"The thing that's glinting. It's a broken vase. There's a dresser fallen over as well.

"Wow…" Ichigo mused "I never thought that Ishida Ryuuken-san was so- haphazard."

Suddenly, Rukia's eyes seemed to widen, and she thumbed her sword just a little out of its sheath.

"This isn't natural." She said quickly.

Ichigo glanced down at her, confusion lining his forehead: "Natural? What do you mean?"

Rukia didn't answer immediately. She bent down over a broken vase. The flowers had seemingly long since died, and were brown and shrivelled. Carefully, she reached down a finger to touch one of the petals, and a terrifying sense of unease gripped her instantaneously. Recoiling with a sharp gasp, she threw herself into the wall, breathing hard.

"Rukia!" The boy's face had changed to a near state of panic, and he began rushing over to her.

"Wait!" She ordered, just as his foot was teetering over the fallen plants. "Don't… don't touch them…" She panted, her heart and mind were racing. _No… this is…_

The girl hardened her expression, and turned her indigo eyes up to the boy. "Ishida… he's here… just- not alone."

Ichigo could feel a vein pulsing in his forehead. _It can't be… We- We can't go through that again…_ His could feel the blood beating in his ears. "N- Not even Aizen's attack was enough." He stuttered, fumbling his hand on a side-table for balance. Black claws were snaking their way into his vision, and it took everything he had to stay conscious. _That- 'thing' was practically the end of Soul Society- 6 months on and still only 4 captains are in a fighting state. In the real world, that damage is multiplied… indefinitely._

Rukia slowly detached herself from the wall and staggered over to him, taking a deliberately large step around the flowers- Poppies, they had probably been. They placed supporting arms around each other, and managed to drag themselves outside.

The second they fell out of the door, it felt as if a vice had been removed from their chests, and they collapsed on the ground gasping. They lay there for a few minutes, staring wide-eyed into the thick blackness of the sky above them. The gnarled trees that surrounded the house were all in a very similar state to the poppies- shrivelled and dying. Even the sky seemed to be sick, coughing up a thick smog of cloud so that not even the moon could shine.

Finally, Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder, and a firm, but shaking voice said. "We- we need to leave. Now."

Managing to vaguely nod his head, he stumbled to his feet, and again leaning on each other, they shunpo'd away from the house. When they felt they were a safe distance away, they landed on the roof of a nearby building, and again rested their backs against a wall. Rukia could feel her head lurching, the effects of being near that flower had still obviously not completely left. Ichigo was still feeling the weight of the atmosphere against his temples, but turned his head to look at her.

"Are you… feeling ok, Rukia?" He asked, gently.

"I- think so." She replied, wearily sliding down the wall into a sitting position. He joined her, and let her rest her head on his shoulder. She had heavy bags under her eyes, and her brow was till twitching occasionally, but otherwise, she looked peaceful. Ichigo could feel his eyelids drooping as well, and carefully lay his head on top of hers. _I think we've done enough for today_.

A/N: Yeah, the whole 'Nearly almost confessing but not quite' is a cliché but eh I'm tired and it's 1:00 AM. Also sorry for not updating sooner.


	7. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

NOTE: THIS STORY WILL BE IMPROVED AND CONTINUED ON MY AO3 PAGE:HERE

I HOPE YOU ENJOY BOTH ITS CONTINUATION AND THE CHANGES I'M GONNA MAKE!


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